citation_inspection: 3822

During inspection of records, it appeared some recommendations of the attending veterinarian had not been followed to provide adequate care to the giraffe herd. Three giraffes were in declining body condition when they died. In September of 2013, the veterinarian at that time had instituted a Body Condition check involving photographing each individual giraffe from various angles. There was a turnover in Veterinary Staff and the formal practice was not performed in March/April 2014 or thereafter, although the new attending veterinarian has re-instated this practice for this time forward. The first animal, a 14-year old Masai giraffe named Naivasha, was evaluated on Jan 30, 2014. The medical record indicates that a retrospective comparison revealed that her body condition had declined since the previous year (2013). The veterinarian recommended adding one pound of supplemental feed (cid:28)Boost(cid:29) to her diet for an indefinite period, but no formal prescription or treatment sheet was issued. While at least one record indicates Boost was provided as a treat during training, there is no further documentation that Boost was added to her diet. The next assessment of body condition was documented on May 22, 2014, when she was noted to have poor body condition. There is documentation that the animal was formally prescribed and actually treated with the Boost feed at that time. On August 7, 2014, the veterinarian noted: (cid:28)Body condition is not showing improvement despite good consumption of supplemental feed (Boost).(cid:29) On August 12, 2014 the records state (cid:28)Giraffe found dead in stall this AM. Plans had been for immobilization Thursday 8-21 with dental consult& Animal(cid:25)s condition and mentation had declined steadily&(cid:29); even though Naivasha had been maintained in the giraffe barn and adjoining yard rather than in pasture for over a year, which allowed for more intensive monitoring and treatment. The second animal was an 8-year old Baringo giraffe named Geraldine. There is no evidence in the medical record of her body condition having been documented with photographs, other than the September/October 2013 set of photos. On May 28, 2014, this animal was brought into the chute for treatment of a chronic parasite problem (documented high counts for parasites in fecal samples on April 16, May 2, and May 23, 2014). The animal was resistant to handling and became recumbent. Despite veterinary care and monitoring provided, the animal was unable to stand, did not recover, and was euthanized. The body condition score stated in the necropsy report was 2/5 or 3/9, (very lean to slightly thin) with evidence of GI tract abnormalities consistent with chronic parasite burden and/or a suboptimal diet. The third animal, Mickey, a 19-year old female giraffe, died on 6/20/2013 from a rhinoceros goring. This animal had pathology suggestive of being in an energy deficient state at the time of the goring. This animal died before the attending veterinarian recommended routine Body Condition assessments. Failure to follow the veterinarian(cid:25)s recommendations may compromise the provision of adequate veterinary care, which requires accurate and detailed records relating to follow up actions as part of the program of veterinary care. Each exhibitor must assure that the attending veterinarian has proper authority to ensure the provision of adequate veterinary care and to oversee the adequacy of other aspects of animal care and use. This includes the assurance that when treatments or specialized diets are prescribed, that they will be administered properly and that if a treatment failure is noted, or if animals are not eating a prescribed diet, the veterinarian will be made aware of it so that they are able to formulate an alternative plan. Correct by ensuring that the attending veterinarian has appropriate authority over the adequacy of veterinary care and other aspects of other animal care and use, including nutrition, handling, husbandry, and animal compatibility. Documentation of the Attending Veterinarian(cid:25)s recommendations on these issues and facility response (treatment administration, nutrition, policy development, plan implementation, etc.) shall be maintained by the facility and made available to APHIS Officials upon request. To be corrected by: from this time forward.